Two of nation's top 10 green buildings in Wisconsin

An online journal about visual art, the urban landscape and design. Mary Louise Schumacher, the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic, leads the discussion and a community of writers contribute to the dialogue.

Every year the field for the “Top Ten Green Projects,” the nation’s premiere award for green architecture granted by the American Institute of Architects, gets larger and more competitive. This year, two of the ten winning projects are in Wisconsin and both were designed by Milwaukee-area firms.

Like many of this year’s winners, the two Wisconsin structures are more than just fantastically green and drop-dead gorgeous, they set standards for innovation in other ways, too. One is a sensitive addition to an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright church, while the other reimagines what a house can be in an urban context in Racine.

Many projects under consideration for this year’s awards were more energy efficient than the addition to the Wright-designed First Unitarian Society Meeting House in Madison. But the judges honored Kubala Washatko Architects of Cedarburg for creating a gently curving structure that hugs its south-sloping site for playing well with the intense geometry of the Wright church. They also appreciated the not-too-fancy approach to sustainable design that Kubala Washatko is famous for. »Read Full Blog Post

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Perhaps there is an online class about how to be offensive to as many people in one post as possible while also proclaiming your ignorance? These are gorgeous examples of well thought out design that benefits the users, our communities and the environment all at the same time. Many of the materials are locally sourced and locally purchased, providing jobs and certainly income to local families. From designer to installer, new construction (yes, even green construction) is a win-win for everyone. And as our economy continues to improve, we'll again see more buildings being built - construction (yes, even green) is a huge industry in our state, not "touchy feely nonsense." What's so cool is that today's technology of new products allows us to economically build green features into homes without sacrificing beauty or convenience. Sincere thanks to the AIA for honoring these important examples of green design and to the designers, builders and contractors who made it possible - not to mention the people who paid for it all.

This is all well & good, but the inventory of homes and commercial buildings is so huge that construction of these designs are a dream for the foreseeable future. A couple of years ago, firms like mine were scrambling to get someone LEED-certified on their staff and we're looking at all kinds of "green" solutions to sell. Didn't take long to find out that LEED-certified buildings & technologies are expensive with a long, slow & questionable ROI. We're seeing very little traction for this right now, on the few projects that are going.

I watched a panel debate online, recorded at NYU, moderated by ABC News. The motion up for debate: "Clean Energy Can Drive America's Economic Recovery." At the beginning of the debate, the +/-2500-person audience was polled on their answer using devices at each chair. The audience voted 46% in favor of the motion, and 21% against, with 33% undecided. At the end of an hour-plus debate between the panels of experts, 43% supported the motion, 47% opposed it, and 10% remained undecided. As this was a competition, the 'against the motion' team was declared the winner.

Wausau has a newer Green Building (commercial office use) on top of a nice little hill on the west end of town. It was praised by the Wausau Daily Herald and was even covered by an NBC or MSNBC show a while back. Samuels Group built it and they specialize in constructing green buildings.

http://www.wausaudevelopment.com/pics/311Junelarge.jpg

However, this building remains vacant while other commercial properties that were vacant in that neighborhood, since the economic meltdown, are now filling up.

Thanks for the great column Mary. As a child I used to attend services at the Meeting House in Madison. For anyone who hasn't seen it in person, I encourage them to take a trip to Madison to see it. A really amazing building!

Now, 30+ years on, I'm fortunate to drive by the OS House several times a week. I enjoyed both watching it's progress during construction and seeing it finished. It's a beautiful structure and a great addition to the neighborhood.

The OS House is hideous, completely out of place for where it is built. Green building and aesthetics can be compatible but what this firm does is build cold, sterile space that twenty years from now will leave observers asking, What were they thinking? Flat roofs in Wisconsin, really?

Take your negative energy and complain on a political article. These are new construction projects by private firms, are attracting a lot of attention to our local design/build industry, and is something to be proud of!

I agree that LEED certification is over-hyped and expensive, and many buildings become certified to keep up with the trend. There are a ton of under-the-radar buildings that deserve equal attention, in both design and energy efficiency, that are not LEED certified.

At any rate, this article isn't claiming that LEED certification/the green movement is "saving our economy". It's recognizing the hard work and talent of our neighboring architects! Bravo!

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